ABSTRACT
Faced with the complexity of the Earth's surface, the geomorphologist seeking to quantify its form is immediately forced to analyse it into more manageable components. Alternatively, the geomorphologist may attempt to analyse the land surface as a continuous, rough surface, described by attributes at a sample of points, or of arbitrary areas. Such general geomorphometry completely avoids problems of landform definition and delimitation, and subjectivity and operator variance are reduced drastically, though not eliminated. The influence of altitude, especially upon climate, is universally recognised, and gradient appears to be a fundamental geomorphological attribute. The more complex problem of several land-cover types in a mountainous area can be tackled by including geomorphometric variables along with spectral responses in a discriminant analysis. Even if the geomorphologist needs to analyse a particular area for which digital data are unobtainable, he or she is well advised to generate a matrix from the best available map.
